Clik here to view.
Closing Holes
A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a defect in the septum (wall) between the two upper (atrial) chambers of the heart. Specifically, the defect is an incomplete closure of the atrial septum that results...
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More Than We Want to Know?
More than thirty years ago in 1978, a book was published that altered the way medical students and young doctors thought. The book was titled The House of God and was written by Samuel Shem. It was a...
View ArticleMore Than We Want to Know? Part Two
In my last blog I reviewed the concept of TMI, or as we know it, too much information. This information can lead to benefits to patients, but can also lead to over treatment and possibly harm. What...
View ArticleUseful information about Pradaxa
Recently I have blogged about the new drug dabigatran (Pradaxa) which has been approved and is now available to replace warfarin in the treatment of embolic stroke in patients who have atrial...
View ArticlePROSPECTing for the answer to what causes myocardial infarctions (Part 2)
This study was performed in a group of patients who presented for cardiac catheterization because of an ischemic syndrome -- either myocardial infarction or unstable angina.They were not randomized but...
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911 411 Pradaxa
A small piece of vital information has turned up. Although this is supposed to be “widely” reported, I found out by accident, and I wish to share it with my readers.It seems that Pradaxa that is given...
View ArticleAnother question about Pradaxa
A question was posted on my blog concerning Pradaxa pacemakers and dosing. It brings up several good points and some information readers and -- judging from the question -- doctors need to know.The...
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Well…Something the Democrats and Republicans can finally agree upon
Photo from www.stjosephsatlanta.orgIt’s been a difficult couple of weeks for Uncle Sam. We truly have had a spectacle in our nation’s capital, and for the average American, the news is all bad....
View ArticleNew drugs new problems
I have blogged about atrial fibrillation and the need for anticoagulation in the past. Some blogs have gone over the history of Coumadin, and more recently, the development and approval of Pradaxa....
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2011
As 2011 draws to a close, I thought we could review some of the highlights and low lights that the year has brought us. But first, I need to alert my readers to an important albeit discouraging article...
View ArticlePradaxa’s issues (Part I)
I have blogged about Pradaxa in the past, and I have tried to highlight both the good and the bad about this drug and the reasons that patients need the antithrombin agents. After 30 years practicing...
View ArticleNew Toys and what the Boys and Girls of Medicine do with them (Part II)
In these blog posts, I am discussing the utilization of drugs after the drugs are approved. One factoid that you must understand is this: the FDA approves drugs based on a series of studies regarding...
View ArticleNew toys and what the boys and girls of medicine do with them (Part III)
In keeping with my last several blogs regarding the use of the new antithrombins, an article was published in September in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. As an aside, one of the...
View ArticleFrom bad to worse (Part III)
So we have a conundrum. Which is better: utilizing a new drug that works all the time and is easy to use but has a major drawback or an old drug that does not have the drawback but is impossible to...
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Bits and pieces
photo from www.apple.com Bits I always attempt to keep you my readers ahead of the curve. On July 7, 2011 I published a blog post about a device and iPhone App that I believed would help many patients...
View ArticleClosing Holes
A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a defect in the septum (wall) between the two upper (atrial) chambers of the heart. Specifically, the defect is an incomplete closure of the atrial septum that results...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More Than We Want to Know?
More than thirty years ago in 1978, a book was published that altered the way medical students and young doctors thought. The book was titled The House of God and was written by Samuel Shem. It was a...
View ArticleMore Than We Want to Know? Part Two
In my last blog I reviewed the concept of TMI, or as we know it, too much information. This information can lead to benefits to patients, but can also lead to over treatment and possibly harm. What...
View ArticleUseful information about Pradaxa
Recently I have blogged about the new drug dabigatran (Pradaxa) which has been approved and is now available to replace warfarin in the treatment of embolic stroke in patients who have atrial...
View ArticlePROSPECTing for the answer to what causes myocardial infarctions (Part 2)
This study was performed in a group of patients who presented for cardiac catheterization because of an ischemic syndrome -- either myocardial infarction or unstable angina.They were not randomized but...
View Article
